Thomas a



(No Model.)

- T. A. DAVIES.

CUSHION PLATE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

N 394,679. Patented Dec. 18, I888. lllllllllllmllllllllllllllln@lT/VESSBSW t g k 6:: Q L ATTORNEY NITED STATES THOMAS A.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVIES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CUSHION-PLATE FOR RAI LROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,679, dated December18, 1888.

Application filed April 6, 1888. $eria1N0. 269,787. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. DAVIES, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Cushion-Plate forRailroad-Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improved cushion-plate for railway-rails, andhas for its object to provide a means whereby the wear of thefish-plates by the abutting ends of the railsections will be effectuallyavoided and the consequent loosening of the joints thereby prevented.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a section of rail having my improvementapplied. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of Fig. 1 on the line as.90 thereof, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cushion-plate detached.

It is a well-known fact where railways-rails are laid directly upon thewooden ties that by means of the yielding nature of the latter the railsatthe joints are depressed to a more or less degree by the passingrolling-stock, wherebyconsiderable friction is sustained by thefish-plates. This constant friction soon crushes and wears the upperedge of the fishplate away at the rail-joint, whereupon the said plateis rendered useless and must be removed.

Itis the prime object of the present invention to overcome this seriouswear, and to that end a thin plate, A, made of a hard metalsuch as steelis placed upon the tie B and the rail C is laid upon said plate.

The cushion-plate A, which is of a length preferably equal to the widthof the tie and of a width slightly greater than the rail at the base, isprovided upon opposite sides with a recess, (1, adapted to receive thespike, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. I prefer in practice, asillustrated in Fig. 1 to place a thin sheet, B, of soft metal'such asBabbitt metal, copper, or lead upon the upper face of the main plate,the said soft metal being simply laid upon the harder metal or securedthereto in any approved or well-known manner. The rails C having beenlaid upon the cushionplate, both are secured to the tie by the samespikes, the said spikes passing through the side recesses in thecushion.

The spike D employed is that secured to myself by Letters Patent datedAugust 23, 1887, and numbered 368,818, and on which spike an applicationfor a patent for an improvement is filed of even date herewith, and itis provided with a diagonal head, a gradually-tapering body, and apeculiarly-formed point, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby when driventhe body of the spike takes a diagonal course in the tie. Thefish-plates E are now secured in position and the joint is completed.

It will be observed that by reason of the interposed cushion-plate theabutting ends of the rails cannot be forced downward at the base intothe tie, but are maintained at all times in their normal position. Thusa minimum degree of friction only is sustained by the fish-plates,permitting the latter to act simply in their proper capacity-that of atic.

\Vhile Ihave illustrated the cushion as applied to a joint, I do notlimit myself to that application, as, if found desirable, a cushionplatemay also be used in connection with one or more ties intervening thejoints of the rail.

The object of the soft-metal facing for the cushion-plate is to provideaperfectly-smooth upper face, in order that the movement of the railupon the cushion will not produce wear, and the further object is toprevent any possible obstruction to the natural wave of the rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a railway-rail cushionconsisting of a hardmetal plate having one face covered with a softmetal, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a railway rail and tie, of a metalplate'intervening the rail and tie, and spikes having a diagonal headand tapering point uniting the rail and cushionplate to the tie,substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with a railway rail and tie, of a cushion plateintervening the said rail and tie, consisting of a hardmetal platehaving one surface covered with a soft metal, and spikes provided with adiagonal head and tapering point uniting the cushion-plate and rail tothe ties, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The combination, with the abutting ends IO of rail-sections, the tie,and a fish-plate uniting said rail-sections, of a metal cushion-plateintervening the said rails and ties, and spikes having a diagonal headand tapering point, retaining the rails and plate to the ties,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

TI-IOS. A. DAVIES.

\Vitnesses:

.I. F. ACKER, J 1. (J. SEDGWICK.

